CN111478873A

CN111478873A - Indoor wireless communication network and Internet of things system

Info

Publication number: CN111478873A
Application number: CN201510651146.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 赵依军
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-06-16
Filing date: 2015-10-10
Publication date: 2020-07-31
Also published as: CN106257964B; CN106257957A; CN205048205U; CN106257949A; CN106257964A; CN106257957B

Abstract

The invention relates to a communication technology, in particular to an indoor wireless communication network and an internet of things system based on the indoor wireless communication network. The IOT system according to one aspect of the invention comprises a cloud computing platform and an indoor wireless communication network, wherein the indoor wireless communication network comprises a plurality of wireless communication modules, each wireless communication module is arranged in an associated indoor lighting device, the wireless communication modules are configured to be capable of communicating with each other and with devices nearby, at least one wireless communication module is configured as a sink node of the indoor wireless communication network and is coupled with the cloud computing platform, and the cloud computing platform is configured to manage the indoor wireless communication networkThe client establishes a right to communicate with the device by accessing the indoor wireless communication network through the sink node.

Description

Indoor wireless communication network and Internet of things system

Technical Field

The invention relates to a communication technology, in particular to an indoor wireless communication network and an internet of things system based on the indoor wireless communication network.

Background

The internet of things is a network which is based on information carriers such as the internet, a traditional telecommunication network and the like and enables common physical objects which can be independently addressed to realize interconnection. What the internet of things actually needs to solve is the last 10 meters of interconnection problem, within which the density of connectable devices will increase geometrically.

The technical system framework of the Internet of things mainly comprises a sensing layer technology, a network layer technology and an application layer technology. Although technologies such as mobile communication and the internet are mature after many years of rapid development and can basically meet the data transmission requirement of the internet of things, many technical bottlenecks still exist. For example, in the case of network layer technology, it is necessary to transmit the perceived information with high reliability and high security, but on the other hand, providing access to a high density of connectable devices will consume more power. The reliability and security of transmission and low power consumption are therefore a dilemma. When the cross-protocol communication capability and high expansibility requirements of the internet of things are considered, the difficulty in solving the problems is further increased.

Statistically, 80% of human activities occur in indoor environment, so the quality of indoor signal coverage becomes a serious problem in the internet of things. There are currently weaknesses in indoor wireless communications, although a number of wireless technologies (e.g., bluetooth, Zigbee, and WiFi) are available. For example, WiFi technology, which is high in power consumption and is not applicable to sensors; in addition, many public places implement Wi-Fi deployment based on an operation right mode, and when multiple operators provide Wi-Fi access services at the same time, the influence of channel interference cannot be ignored. As another example, bluetooth and Zigbee technologies have limited transmission distance, and therefore, a receiving device as a sensor signal needs to be deployed in an indoor environment on a large scale, and the installation cost is not small or significant.

The three main characteristics of the Internet of things are perception, object association and intellectualization. Its application is currently gradually penetrating into various fields, and the information security problem caused thereby has raised general attention and concern to experts and the public.

From the above, how to implement the internet of things system in a low-cost, high-security and high-reliability manner is a significant challenge facing the internet of things technology.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide an Internet of things system which has the advantages of low construction cost, high safety and reliability and the like.

The Internet of things system according to one aspect of the invention comprises a cloud computing platform and an indoor wireless communication network, wherein the indoor wireless communication network comprises a plurality of wireless communication modules, each wireless communication module is arranged in an associated indoor lighting device, the wireless communication modules are configured to be capable of communicating with each other and with devices nearby,

wherein at least one of the wireless communication modules is configured as an aggregation node of the indoor wireless communication network and is coupled with the cloud computing platform,

wherein the cloud computing platform is configured to manage a right for a client to establish a communication connection with the device by accessing the indoor wireless communication network via the aggregation node.

Preferably, in the above system of internet of things, a path of the communication connection of the client and the device is via the cloud computing platform and the sink node.

Preferably, in the above system of internet of things, the path of the communication connection of the client and the device is directly via the aggregation node.

Preferably, in the above system of internet of things, the cloud computing platform is further configured to manage the authority of the client to operate the device.

Preferably, in the above system of internet of things, the operation of the device by the client includes acquiring an operation state of the device and controlling the operation of the device.

Preferably, in the above system of internet of things, the cloud computing platform is further configured to manage the client's permission to configure the indoor wireless communication network via the aggregation node.

Preferably, in the above system of internet of things, the wireless communication module is configured to communicate with each other based on a first communication protocol, and communicate with the device based on a second communication protocol different from the first communication protocol, and the sink node and the cloud computing platform are configured to communicate with each other based on a third communication protocol different from the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol, wherein the data related to the operation of the device by the client is application layer data of the first communication protocol, the second communication protocol and the third communication protocol.

Preferably, in the above system of internet of things, the wireless communication module is configured to prohibit parsing of the application layer data.

Preferably, in the above internet of things system, the lighting device is an L ED lighting device including an adaptive power supply, the wireless communication module being integrated within and powered by the adaptive power supply.

Preferably, in the above-mentioned internet of things system, the adaptive power supply is implemented in the form of a printed circuit board, and the wireless communication module is implemented in the form of an integrated circuit, which is disposed as a component on the printed circuit board.

Preferably, in the above-mentioned internet of things system, the adaptive power supply is implemented in the form of a printed circuit board, and the wireless communication module is implemented in the form of a system on chip (SoC) chip, which is disposed as a component on the printed circuit board.

Preferably, in the internet of things system, the cloud computing platform can upgrade the wireless communication module online by using an over-the-air (OTA) technology.

Preferably, in the above system of internet of things, the client is one of the following devices: cell-phone, portable computer, panel computer, wearable equipment and PC.

Preferably, in the above system of internet of things, the device is at least one of the following devices having wireless communication capability: the system comprises a router, a set top box, an ammeter, a water meter, a gas meter, household appliances, security equipment, an access control system, a POS machine, a health monitoring device and a printer.

Preferably, in the above internet of things system, the device is a wireless sensor.

Preferably, in the internet of things system, the sink node communicates with the cloud computing platform via a wireless channel.

Preferably, in the above system of internet of things, the sink node communicates with the cloud computing platform via a wired medium.

Preferably, in the above system of internet of things, the indoor wireless communication network adopts one of the following network topologies: star network topologies, mesh network topologies, cluster network topologies, and cluster tree network topologies.

The characteristics of numerous lighting devices and wide distribution are fully utilized, so that a network with high node density can be built at nearly zero cost (the physical installation of nodes is completed while the lighting devices are installed).

L ED lighting devices are typically equipped with built-in adaptive power supplies, which naturally facilitates the integration of wireless communication transceivers within the lighting device and solves the power supply problem with ease.

Application layer data is transmitted "transparently" to the computing platform to prohibit parsing within the indoor wireless communication network, which improves the security of data transmission.

Drawings

The above and/or other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the various aspects taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like or similar elements are designated with like reference numerals. The drawings comprise:

fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an indoor wireless communication network according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a house type diagram of an exemplary apartment dwelling unit.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of an indoor wireless communication network according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication network according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view of an internet of things system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. The embodiments described above are intended to provide a full and complete disclosure of the present invention to more fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

In this specification, the term "lighting device" should be construed broadly as all devices capable of providing light to achieve a practical or aesthetic effect, including, but not limited to, bulb lamps, table lamps, panel lamps, down lamps, wall lamps, spot lamps, daylight lamps, ceiling lamps, street lamps, flashlights, stage landscape lamps, city landscape lamps, and the like.

The term "L ED lighting device" refers to lighting devices that employ light emitting diodes (L ED) as the light source, where the L ED described herein includes, for example, but is not limited to, P-N junction inorganic semiconductor light emitting diodes and organic light emitting diodes (O L ED and polymer light emitting diodes (P L ED)).

The term "building" refers to spaces and entities constructed with building materials, and is the place where people live and perform various activities.

The term "indoor" refers to an area of space created by the application of physical technical means, including, for example, but not limited to, the interior area of a building and the areas adjacent to the building, depending on the nature of the building and the environment in which it is used.

The term "adaptive power supply" or "drive power supply" refers to an "electronic control unit" connected between an Alternating Current (AC) or Direct Current (DC) power supply external to the L ED lighting device and the light emitting diodes as the light source for providing the required current or voltage (e.g., constant current, constant voltage, or constant power, etc.) to the light emitting diodes.

The term "wireless communication module" refers to an electronic device capable of performing wireless signal transmission and reception functions, and may be implemented in the form of, for example, an integrated circuit or a combination of a plurality of discrete electronic components.

The term "cloud computing technology" or "cloud computing" refers to a way to provide computing power that abstracts the underlying technical architecture (e.g., servers, storage, and networks) into computing resources that can be quickly provisioned and released with little administrative effort or interaction by a service provider, conveniently, on-demand, through a shared pool of configurable computing resources over a network. Cloud computing can be classified into public, private, and hybrid clouds, depending on the nature of the cloud computing service. Cloud computing can be divided into infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS) by hierarchy.

The term "cloud computing platform" or "cloud platform" refers to an IT infrastructure capable of providing cloud computing services having various service properties and at various levels.

"coupled" should be understood to include the situation where electrical energy or electrical signals are transferred directly between two units or indirectly through one or more third units.

Words such as "comprising" and "comprises" mean that, in addition to having elements or steps which are directly and unequivocally stated in the description and the claims, the solution of the invention does not exclude other elements or steps which are not directly or unequivocally stated.

Terms such as "first" and "second" do not denote an order of the elements in time, space, size, etc., but rather are used to distinguish one element from another.

According to an aspect of the present invention, wireless communication modules are provided within the lighting device and are communicatively coupled to each other, thereby constructing an indoor wireless communication network. Because the wireless communication modules as the network nodes can be distributed in various indoor areas along with the lighting devices, the coverage area and the node density of the network are greatly improved. The indoor wireless communication network may employ various network topologies, including, but not limited to, a star network topology, a mesh network topology, a cluster tree network topology, and the like. In addition, for the characteristics that network optimization factors are not considered when the lighting device is installed and the lighting device is generally fixed and unchangeable after the lighting device is installed, preferably, the network node can have the self-networking capability. In the following description, the terms wireless communication module and network node are used interchangeably unless otherwise specified.

One or more of the wireless communication modules may be selected as a sink node for connecting the constructed indoor wireless communication network to an external network or cloud computing platform, and other wireless communication modules may communicate with the external network or cloud computing platform via the sink node.

It should be noted that, in the indoor wireless communication network, it is not necessary to provide all network nodes in the lighting device. For example, the nodes that are sink nodes may alternatively be arranged at physical locations other than the lighting devices. In particular, such a network node may be, for example, a wireless communication module integrated in: routers, POS machines, power adapters, home base stations, modems, set-top boxes, home appliances, PCs, and the like.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the wireless communication module provided in the lighting device constitutes, on the one hand, a network node of an indoor wireless communication network to enable transmission of data within the indoor wireless communication network, and, on the other hand, also serves as an access node which communicates bi-directionally with wireless devices outside the indoor communication network to provide access services. Thus, an indoor wireless communication network functions as both a transmission network and an access network, with network nodes somewhat analogous to "micro base stations" (but unlike mobile communication systems where the micro base stations may be in direct communication connection with each other and the base stations are connected to a radio network controller), and wireless device communications located within the coverage area of the indoor wireless communication network can be connected to an external network or cloud computing platform via the aforementioned access nodes and aggregation node. For example, a blood glucose meter with wireless communication capability can upload blood glucose monitoring data of a user to a remote medical monitoring system through an indoor wireless communication network, and can also receive medicine taking reminding or body building instructions from the remote medical monitoring system. The wireless devices described herein may be, for example, mobile devices including, but not limited to, cell phones, laptops, tablets, and wearable devices, for example. In addition, the wireless device may also be a wireless communication module disposed in a fixed device, such as, but not limited to, a router, a set-top box, an electric meter, a water meter, a gas meter, a household appliance, a security device, an access control system, a POS machine, and a printer. In addition, the wireless device may be various wireless sensors including, but not limited to, a wireless temperature sensor, a wireless humidity sensor, a wireless light intensity sensor, a wireless smoke sensor, and the like.

Preferably, the network configuration function of the indoor wireless communication network is limited to be provided in the sink node, and other network nodes do not have the configuration function. Accordingly, the external network or the client can implement the network configuration operation only by calling the network configuration function of the sink node. Preferably, an authentication mechanism is provided for the invocation of the network configuration function, thereby preventing illegal or unauthorized configuration operations. The network configuration operation herein includes, but is not limited to, interconnecting a plurality of network nodes to form an indoor wireless communication network, adding or deleting network nodes in the indoor wireless communication network, upgrading programs running in the network nodes, and the like.

Alternatively, the wireless communication module as a network node (including a sink node and an access node) only unidirectionally receives or detects wireless signals transmitted by wireless devices outside the indoor wireless communication network, and then executes applications based on the wireless signals inside or outside the indoor wireless communication network, such applications including, but not limited to, positioning (e.g., determining a location from bluetooth signals received from wireless devices such as cell phones and wearable devices), resource consumption monitoring (e.g., receiving resource consumption information from wireless communication modules on electric energy metering devices installed on home appliances, gas metering devices installed on water heaters, water metering devices installed on water meters, and heat metering devices, etc.), home appliance operating state monitoring and control (e.g., acquisition of home appliance fault codes, etc.), health state monitoring (e.g., monitoring health state from signals received from monitors worn on the body), and environmental detection Measuring (e.g., when the wireless device is a wireless temperature sensor, a wireless humidity sensor, a wireless light intensity sensor, a wireless smoke sensor, etc.).

Optionally, the wireless communication module as a network node (including a sink node and an access node) may also transmit a wireless signal and receive a corresponding wireless reflection signal, and then applications based on the wireless reflection signal may be executed inside or outside the indoor wireless communication network, such applications including, but not limited to, positioning (e.g., determining the position of an object according to the wireless reflection signal from the object) and intrusion detection (e.g., determining whether an object enters a monitored area according to the strength and/or frequency spectrum of the wireless reflection signal), and the like.

When the above application relates to a client located outside the indoor wireless communication network, the client is preferably allowed to access the indoor wireless communication network via the aggregation node only under the authorization of the cloud computing platform, and thereby establish a communication connection with a wireless device within the coverage of the indoor wireless communication network. Preferably, the client's operational rights to the wireless device (including, but not limited to, for example, obtaining operational status of the wireless device and controlling operation of the wireless device) are also managed by the cloud computing platform. Since cloud computing platforms generally have complete and powerful security management capabilities (such as identity authentication, access authorization, comprehensive protection, security audit and the like), it is very advantageous to give access rights and operation rights of clients to their management.

It should be noted that after the client obtains authorization for accessing the indoor wireless communication network from the cloud computing platform, the path of the communication connection between the client and the wireless device may be via the cloud computing platform and the aggregation node, or may be directly via the aggregation node.

It should be noted that when enough indoor wireless communication networks with the above functions and architectures are interconnected, a wide area internet of things system is constructed. As will be seen from the following description, numerous "last ten meters" level based applications may be provided by means of the communication infrastructure, including for example, but not limited to, targeting indoor, accurate push of merchant advertisements, remote monitoring and maintenance of home appliances, parking lot slot guidance, and the like.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a lighting device incorporating a wireless communication module preferably employs a L ED lighting device L ED is typically required to operate at constant current, constant voltage or constant power, and thus existing L0 ED lighting devices are typically equipped with an adaptive power supply to convert electrical energy from an external power source (e.g., mains electricity) to electrical energy having a constant voltage, constant current or constant power suitable for L ED operating requirements generally, L ED lighting devices include, in addition to the adaptive power supply, L ED light sources and a housing or base (e.g., a downlight cup, a fluorescent tube, a bulb envelope, etc.) housing L ED light sources, in a typical arrangement, the adaptive power supply and the L ED light sources are both disposed within the housing or base, in another typical arrangement, the adaptive power supply is separate from the housing or base housing containing the L ED light sources, and in yet another typical arrangement, the L ED light sources are integrated within the adaptive power supply (e.g., L is disposed on a circuit board of the adaptive power supply.

The wireless communication module is preferably implemented as a circuit module integrated into and powered by the adapted power supply of the L ED lighting fixture, as described above, which typically includes a printed circuit board and components mounted on the printed circuit board and electrically connected together by wiring.

The above-described features regarding the provision of an adaptive power supply in L ED lighting devices make the provision of a wireless communication module in lighting devices easier and more convenient, and also eliminate the need for a power supply (e.g., a battery, an energy storage unit such as a super capacitor) specifically provided for wireless communication modules.a number of current indoor commercial environments' L ED lighting devices employ an arrangement of adaptive power supplies that are independent of the housing or base housing L ED light sources, so that L ED lighting devices can be upgraded to lighting devices having a network node function by replacing the adaptive power supplies.furthermore, since the wireless communication modules are built into the adaptive power supplies, the network nodes of an indoor wireless communication network can be physically deployed as soon as the L ED lighting devices provided with wireless communication modules are installed, which greatly reduces networking costs.a L ED, a new generation of light sources, has many advantages such as energy saving, safety and long lifetime, and its application will be increasingly widespread as the costs decrease.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, the wireless communication modules communicate with each other based on a first communication protocol. The first communication protocol may be a protocol stack having a layered structure, including, for example, but not limited to, a bluetooth communication protocol stack, a Wi-Fi communication protocol stack, a Zigbee communication protocol stack, and the like. In consideration of the situation of coexistence of multiple protocol stacks, the wireless communication module can simultaneously support multiple protocol stacks and automatically identify the protocol stack adopted by the wireless device to be accessed to indoor wireless communication. In addition, the communication between the wireless communication module and the wireless device is based on a second communication protocol, which may be different from or the same as the first communication protocol. The communication between the aggregation node and the cloud computing platform is then based on a third communication protocol, preferably different from the first and second communication protocols.

For the above communication protocols, data related to the operation of the wireless device by the client is treated as application layer data. Preferably, the wireless communication module is configured to inhibit parsing of the application layer data, i.e., the application layer data is transmitted "transparently" between the client and the wireless device.

An embodiment of an indoor wireless communication network that realizes the above-described functions and structures is described below with the aid of the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an indoor wireless communication network according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Illustratively, assume that the indoor wireless communication network shown in fig. 1 is established within the dwelling unit shown in fig. 2.

For convenience of description, the various zones of the dwelling unit are identified in fig. 2 by two digits, e.g., 11 for a kitchen, 12 for a living room, 13 for a bathroom, 14 and 15 for a bedroom, and 16 for a balcony accordingly, the L ED lighting devices in each zone are identified by three digits, where the first two digits represent the zone number and the last digit represents the serial number of the L ED lighting device in that zone.

In this embodiment, the wireless communication modules, which are network nodes of the indoor wireless communication network, are built into the adapted power supplies of the L ED lighting devices, so these nodes may be distributed with L ED lighting devices in apartment dwelling units.

As shown in fig. 1, the indoor wireless communication network 100 includes

wireless communication modules

111, 121, 125, 131, 141, 143, 151, 153, and 161 as network nodes. In the above-described format, reference numeral 111 represents the wireless communication module or network node located in the 1 st lighting device in the kitchen,

reference numerals

121 and 125 represent the wireless communication module or network node located in the 1 st to 5 th lighting devices in the living room, respectively, and so on for the rest of the wireless communication modules or network nodes.

The solid lines in fig. 1 indicate that a direct communication connection can be established between two wireless communication modules. Although not all pairs of wireless communication modules in the indoor wireless communication network 100 shown in fig. 1 may be directly connected to each other, they may be indirectly connected to each other through other wireless communication modules as repeaters, so as to implement various communication methods such as peer-to-peer communication, broadcast (one wireless communication module transmits signals to all other wireless communication modules in the indoor wireless communication network 100), or multicast (one wireless communication module transmits signals to some other wireless communication modules in the indoor wireless communication network 100). For example, the wireless communication module 161 on the balcony 16 may communicate with the wireless communication module 121 via the signal path formed by the

wireless communication modules

143, 124, and 122, and may also communicate with the wireless communication module 121 via the signal path formed by the

wireless communication modules

142, 141, 124, and 123.

In the embodiment, at least one of the

wireless communication modules

111, 121, 125, 131, 132, 141, 143, 151, 153, and 161 is configured as an aggregation node, and the rest of the wireless communication modules are configured as access nodes for communicating with the wireless devices in the vicinity thereof. It is to be noted that, in this embodiment and the embodiments to be described below, one wireless communication module may be configured to have functions of both an aggregation node and an access node.

In the case shown in fig. 2, the wireless communication module 121 is configured as an aggregation node, considering that it is close to the entrance door, and the wireless transmission power required for communication with an outdoor device (e.g., a wireless access point of a meter reading system) is small. This is not essential, however, and the wireless communication module 125 may also be configured as a sink node, for example, when it is desired to interconnect the indoor wireless communication network 100 with a broadband telecommunications network or a cable television network, wherein the wireless communication module 125 is located near a wireless router connected to an optical modem or a cable modem. In this embodiment, the sink node may be configured to provide a gateway function to enable interconnection between the two networks when the indoor wireless communication network 100 and the external network employ different protocols. Alternatively, the gateway function may be provided in a device (for example, a wireless access point, an optical modem, a cable modem, and the like of the aforementioned meter reading system) outside the indoor wireless communication network 100, and data transmitted by each wireless communication module to the outside of the indoor wireless communication network 100 is forwarded to the external device via the wireless communication module 125 configured as an aggregation node.

An exemplary application scenario for enabling the collection of resource consumption data based on the indoor wireless communication network shown in fig. 1 is described below. In this scenario, it is assumed that a gas metering device and a water metering device having wireless communication capabilities are installed in the kitchen 11, an electric energy metering device having wireless communication capabilities is installed in the living room 12, and the wireless communication module 121 serving as a sink node provides a gateway function.

The remote meter reading system sends an acquisition request to the network node 121 as a sink node via its wireless access point, thereby starting the acquisition process. In response to the collection request, the network node 121 converts the collection request into a power consumption collection command message, a gas consumption collection command message, and a water consumption collection command message. Preferably, these messages may contain an identifier of the destination receiving device and an address of the associated network node, for example, the address of the network node points to the network node 121 when the destination device is an electric energy metering device, and the address of the network node points to the network node 111 when the destination device is a gas metering device. Subsequently, the network node 121 sends a power consumption acquisition command packet to the electric energy metering device, and sends a gas consumption acquisition command packet and a water consumption acquisition command packet to the network node 122, which forwards the received command packet to the network node 123, and then the network node 123 forwards the command packet to the network node 111. In response to the reception of the command message, the network node 111 transmits a gas consumption amount acquisition command message and a water consumption amount acquisition command message to the gas metering device and the water metering device, respectively.

In response to the receipt of the command message, the electric energy metering device returns to the network node 121 a used electricity amount confirmation message including an identifier of the electric energy metering device and a meter reading number indicating the used electricity amount, and at the same time, the gas metering device and the water metering device return to the network node 111 a used electricity amount confirmation message and a used water amount confirmation message including an identifier of the metering device and an associated meter reading number in response to the receipt of the respective command messages. Network node 111 sends these acknowledgement messages to network node 121 via

network nodes

123, 122.

At network node 121, these confirmation messages are converted into collection confirmation messages and returned to the wireless access point of the remote meter reading system, and the collected resource consumption data is then processed by the remote meter reading system (e.g., energy consumption analysis and billing, etc.).

In the above scenario, the network nodes within the indoor wireless communication 100 provide access capabilities to access the indoor wireless communication network to devices (here, the above wireless access points and various metering devices) located within their respective coverage areas, thereby enabling communication between the devices.

In the present embodiment, the indoor wireless communication network 310 includes wireless communication modules 311A-311F as wireless access nodes and a wireless communication module 312 as a sink node, wherein the wireless communication modules 311A-311F are built into the adaptive power supply of the associated L ED lighting fixture, and the wireless communication module 312 may be built into the adaptive power supply of the associated L ED lighting fixture, or may be physically located differently from the L ED lighting fixture.

As shown in fig. 3, a direct communication connection is established between each of the radio access nodes 311A-311F and the aggregation node 312 (such communication connections are shown in solid lines). By means of the sink node 312, the wireless access points 311A-311F can indirectly communicate with each other, thereby implementing a plurality of communication modes such as point-to-point, broadcast or multicast. On the other hand, the wireless access points 311A-311F may also communicate with devices external to the indoor wireless communication network 310 (e.g., including but not limited to a location server, an advertisement push system, and an online payment system, etc.) via the aggregation node 312.

In this embodiment, the wireless access points 310A-310F are adapted to provide access capabilities to the indoor wireless communication network 300 to wireless devices (e.g., cell phones, laptops, tablets, wearable devices, etc.) in their vicinity, whereby the wireless devices are able to communicate with remote computer systems such as location servers, advertisement push systems, and online payment systems via the indoor wireless communication network 300.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication network constructed based on an indoor wireless communication network according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

The wireless communication network 40 according to the present embodiment includes two indoor

wireless communication networks

410 and 420, each including a wireless access point built into the adaptive power supply of an associated L ED lighting fixture, and a sink node built into the adaptive power supply of an associated L ED lighting fixture, and also located at a physical location different from that of the L ED lighting fixture.

As shown in fig. 4, each of the radio access nodes 411A-411F within the indoor wireless communication network 410 establishes a direct communication connection with the aggregation node 412, and the radio access nodes 421A-421I within the indoor wireless communication network 420 may be in communication connection with the aggregation node 422, either directly or indirectly. Thus, the wireless access point can implement a plurality of communication methods such as point-to-point, broadcast, multicast, and the like in each indoor wireless communication network. On the other hand, a communicative coupling may be established between the

aggregation nodes

412 and 422, thereby enabling interconnection between the indoor

wireless communication networks

410 and 420. Alternatively, the

aggregation nodes

412 and 422 may also communicate with devices external to the indoor wireless communication network (e.g., including but not limited to location servers, advertisement push systems, and online payment systems, etc.).

The wireless communication network of the embodiment can be applied to public places such as large shopping malls. For example, such a public place may be divided into a plurality of areas, a respective indoor wireless communication network is established for each area, and the indoor wireless communication networks may be interconnected by a direct communication connection or an indirect communication connection (e.g., via a cable) between the aggregation nodes.

It should be noted that the number of indoor wireless communication networks included in the wireless communication network of the present embodiment is merely exemplary, and actually, more indoor wireless communication networks may be included, thereby covering a larger geographic range.

The internet of things system 510 according to the present embodiment includes an indoor wireless communication network 511 and a cloud computing platform 512. The indoor wireless communication network 511 may be an indoor wireless communication network having the various features and aspects described above. The cloud computing platform 512 may be an IT infrastructure capable of providing cloud computing services with various service properties including, for example, public cloud, private cloud, hybrid cloud, and the like, at various levels including, for example, infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), software as a service (SaaS), and the like.

Illustratively, as shown in fig. 5, each of the wireless access nodes 511A-511D in the indoor wireless communication network 511 establishes a direct communication connection with the aggregation node 511E, and the communication connection between the wireless access nodes can also be directly realized, or indirectly realized via the aggregation node, and the aggregation node 511E is coupled with the cloud computing platform 512. Further,

wireless access nodes

511A and 511D are capable of communicating with

devices

521 and 522, respectively. Examples of

devices

521 and 522 include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following devices with wireless communication capabilities: the system comprises a router, a set top box, an ammeter, a water meter, a gas meter, household appliances, security equipment, an access control system, a POS machine, a health monitoring device and a printer.

Referring to fig. 5, a remote client 531 may access an indoor wireless communication network 510 via a cloud computing platform 512 and an aggregation node 511E to establish a communication connection with

devices

521 and 522. The local client 532 may access the indoor wireless communication network 511 via the aggregation node 511E to establish a communication connection with the

devices

521 and 522.

In this embodiment, the authority of the

clients

531 and 532 to access the indoor wireless communication network 511 is managed by the cloud computing platform 512, that is, when the

client

531 or 532 wants to access the indoor wireless communication network 511, the cloud computing platform 512 authenticates the client, is allowed to access the indoor wireless communication network 511 via the aggregation node 511E only after the authentication is passed, and then establishes a communication connection with the

devices

521 and 522. As described above, the cloud computing platform 512 also manages the operation rights of the

clients

531 and 532 to the

devices

521 and 522.

For client 531, after obtaining authorization from cloud computing platform 512, to communicate with device 521 via a path that includes cloud computing platform 512, aggregation node 511E, and access node 511A, and to communicate with device 522 via a path that includes cloud computing platform 512, aggregation node 511E, and access node 511D; for client 532, it will communicate with

devices

521 and 522 directly via the aggregation node and corresponding access nodes after obtaining authorization.

An exemplary application scenario for monitoring the state of the home appliance and collecting environmental data based on the internet of things system shown in fig. 5 is described below. In this scenario, the device 521 is assumed to be an air conditioner with wireless communication capability, and the device 522 is assumed to be a temperature sensor with wireless communication capability.

The remote client 531 (e.g., a smartphone) sends a temperature signal acquisition request to the sink node 511E via the cloud computing platform 512, thereby starting an acquisition process. In response to the acquisition request, the cloud computing platform 512 determines whether the client 531 has the right to access the indoor wireless communication network 511, and if so, forwards the acquisition request to the aggregation node 511E. At aggregation node 511E, the acquisition request is converted to a temperature signal acquisition command message and sent to wireless access node 511A. Optionally, the sink node 511E broadcasts the temperature signal acquisition command message in the indoor wireless communication network 511. Preferably, the message includes an identifier of the destination receiving device (here, an identifier of the device 522), an address of an associated network node (here, an address pointing to the wireless communication module 511D), and the like. Subsequently, the wireless communication module 511D transmits a temperature signal collection command message to the device 522. In response to receipt of the command message, the device 522 sends an acknowledgement message to the wireless communication module 511D, the acknowledgement message including the device identifier and the real-time indoor temperature measurement value. The wireless communication module 511D sends the confirmation message to the remote client 521 via the aggregation node 511E and the cloud computing platform 512.

At the remote client 521, if the user determines from the indoor temperature measurements that it is necessary to turn on the air conditioner, an air conditioner control request is sent to the sink node 511E via the cloud computing platform 512, the request including an identifier of the controlled air conditioner and a set temperature target value associated with the air conditioner. In response to the air conditioner control request, the cloud computing platform 512 determines whether the client 531 has the right to access the indoor wireless communication network 511, and if so, the air conditioner control request is forwarded to the sink node 511E. At the sink node 511, the air conditioner control request is converted into an air conditioner control command message and transmitted to the wireless access node 511A. Alternatively, the sink node 511E may broadcast the air conditioner control command message within the indoor wireless communication network 511. Preferably, the message includes an identifier of the destination receiving device (here, the identifier of the device 521), an address of the associated network node (here, the address points to the wireless communication module 511A), a set temperature target value, and the like. Subsequently, the wireless communication module 511A transmits an air conditioner control command message to the device 521. In response to the reception of the command message, the device 521 transmits an acknowledgement message to the wireless communication module 511A, the acknowledgement message including the device identifier. The wireless communication module 511A sends the confirmation message to the remote client 531 through the aggregation node 511E and the cloud computing platform 512.

Another exemplary application scenario based on the internet of things system shown in fig. 5 is described below, which is used for controlling opening and closing of doors and windows of a living room. In this scenario, the device 521 is assumed to be a door/window opening/closing controller with wireless communication capability.

The local client 532 (e.g., a tablet computer) sends a door and window opening and closing control command to the sink node 511E. The command is converted to an authentication request message at aggregation node 511E and forwarded to cloud computing platform 512. In response to receiving the authentication request message, the cloud computing platform 512 determines whether the client 532 has the right to access the indoor wireless communication network 511, and if so, returns a confirmation message to the aggregation node 511E to allow the requested client to access, otherwise, returns a negative confirmation message. Then, the sink node 511E converts the door/window opening/closing control command into a control command message and sends the control command message to the wireless communication module 511A. Optionally, the sink node 511E may also broadcast the door/window opening/closing control command in the indoor wireless communication network 511. Preferably, the message includes an identifier of the destination receiving device (here, the identifier of the device 521) and an address of the associated network node (here, the address points to the wireless communication module 511A). Subsequently, the wireless communication module 511A transmits a setup communication connection command message to the device 521. In response to receipt of the communication connection command message, the device 521 transmits an acknowledgement message to the wireless communication module 511A, and the acknowledgement message is forwarded to the client 532 via the aggregation node 511E. Therefore, a communication connection path is established between the client 532 and the device 521, and the client 532 can control the opening and closing of the door and the window through the device 521.

While certain aspects of the present invention have been shown and discussed, those skilled in the art will appreciate that: changes may be made in the above aspects without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is, therefore, defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An IOT system comprising a cloud computing platform and an indoor wireless communication network, wherein the indoor wireless communication network comprises a plurality of wireless communication modules, each of which is disposed within an associated indoor lighting fixture, the wireless communication modules being configured to be able to communicate with each other and with devices in the vicinity thereof,

2. The internet of things system of claim 1, wherein a path of the client's communication connection with the device is via the cloud computing platform and the aggregation node.

3. The internet of things system of claim 1 wherein a path of the client's communication connection with the device is directly via the aggregation node.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the cloud computing platform is further configured to manage the client's permissions to operate the device.

5. The internet of things system of claim 1, wherein the cloud computing platform is further configured to manage the client's permission to configure the indoor wireless communication network via the aggregation node.

6. The internet of things system of claim 4, wherein the wireless communication modules are configured to communicate with each other based on a first communication protocol and to communicate with the device based on a second communication protocol different from the first communication protocol, the aggregation node and the cloud computing platform being configured to communicate therebetween based on a third communication protocol different from the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol, wherein the data related to the operation of the device by the client is application layer data of the first communication protocol, the second communication protocol, and the third communication protocol.

7. The internet of things system of claim 6, wherein the wireless communication module is configured to inhibit parsing of the application layer data.

8. The internet of things system of claim 1, wherein the lighting device is an L ED lighting device containing an adaptive power source, the wireless communication module being integrated within and powered by the adaptive power source.

9. The internet of things system of claim 1, wherein the device is at least one of the following devices having wireless communication capabilities: the system comprises a router, a set top box, an ammeter, a water meter, a gas meter, household appliances, security equipment, an access control system, a POS machine, a health monitoring device and a printer.

10. The internet of things system of claim 1, wherein the device is a wireless sensor.